Further confirmation: Corruption runs in Trump family

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2019 NEWS BYTES

Donald Trump's sister now the target of corruption...  

Maryanne Trump-Barry and her mentor

Like brother, like sister, and in the Trump family that includes T-rump's two sons and daughter, plus outsider Jared Kushner. It apparently is in the DNA because Trump's father was also corrupt. So it just comes natural, what you do in life is to prey on other folks to build your fortune. Donald Trump's older sister, Maryanne Trump-Barry apparently joined the family of thieves at least by the 1990s when she “benefited financially” from her family’s “tax schemes.”

Now 82, Trump-Barry then “was also in a position [ as a federal judge]  to influence the actions taken by her family.” Now, Sen. Elizabeth Warren has made Trump-Barry a target of her anti-corruption campaign, according to the Daily Beast. It is the first shot any Democratic candidate has taken that has serious implications for the accused. This is all a part of Warren's investigations into "ethics policy" concentrating on federal judges, lobbyists and members of Congress.

Maryanne Trump-Barry corruption charges a year ago...

The DB's Gideon Resnick says that Sen. Elizabeth Warren has made Trump-Barry a target of her anti-corruption campaign also proposing...

"banning lobbyists “from making political contributions” or “from bundling donations or hosting fundraisers for political candidates. Warren also proposes banning members of Congress from serving on for-profit boards."

Here's another example of Fred Trump's corruption...

"The most overt fraud was All County Building Supply & Maintenance, a company formed by the Trump family in 1992. All County’s ostensible purpose was to be the purchasing agent for Fred Trump’s buildings, buying everything from boilers to cleaning supplies. It did no such thing, records and interviews show. Instead All County siphoned millions of dollars from Fred Trump’s empire by simply marking up purchases already made by his employees. Those millions, effectively untaxed gifts, then flowed to All County’s owners — Donald Trump, his siblings and a cousin. Fred Trump then used the padded All County receipts to justify bigger rent increases for thousands of tenants."

Elizabeth Warren on Donald Trump corruption...

You would assume in the above, "Donald Trump, his siblings," that Judge Maryanne Trump-Barry is included. Matt Levine of Bloomberg says he is kind of impressed with the Trump family clever shenanigans...

"It is two scams at once: By transforming the gift into a business expense, you both avoid gift taxes and justify raising rents for rent-stabilized tenants. It really uses every part of the sham purchasing company. On the other hand, it’s not that clever. There is a bit of an unregulated-emerging-markets feel to it; interposing wealthy friends and family as middlemen, giving them large cuts of the business as unjustified markups, and then passing the costs on to the much less wealthy general public, is all out of a fairly standard playbook of corruption."

 If Elizabeth Warren plans to make Maryanne Trump-Barry the focus of her anti-corruption campaign, that is just one more avenue in which law enforcement can navigate to get at the fraudulent activities encompassed by the Trump brand. It is obvious why Donald Trump craves a second term, now even a third, because he knows that once he is out of office, he is fair game for a host of prosecutors. The 2020 election can't come soon enough for most of us, but particularly the law.

Is American democracy dead?

Let's start at the top. We know Donald Trump will never change, only get worse. The Republican Congress has made it clear they will not give up support for the Oval Office lunatic. The MAGA maggots are firmly entrenched in their following of Trump. And there is a combination gang out there like the apathetics, the double-digit voters who chose the White House maniac in 2024, and finally those who are completely clueless about politics and political parties. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Trump has been working on the destruction of our democracy since day one of his second term.

The Crew site says Donald Trump has been "dismantling our democracy, one piece at a time," and that it is important to keep a record as a reminder of the damage that has been done. Dufus Rump is changing democracy gradually so as not to alert those who aren't keen on current issues. Here's an AI analysis...

"Approximately 67% to 70% of Americans cannot name all three branches of government, and over 70% fail a basic civic literacy quiz. Furthermore, 27% of Americans follow national political news "not too closely" or "not at all," while about two-thirds feel exhausted by politics."

So when you combine the percentages who don't know what's going on with those who don't care what's going on, there is only a small group out there voting who place their votes with the knowledge of what they actually voted for. Based on these scary figures, we have ended up with Donald Trump in the White House and a Republican Congress so cowardly in their fear of Dufus Rump that any of his utterances becomes their goal. Here are more AI facts...

According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, more than 70% of Americans fail a basic civics test.

Gallup News indicates that 27% of Americans follow political news "not too closely" or "not at all".

Pew Research Center notes that 22% of Americans cannot identify a single strength in the nation's political system.

Looking at the above, either the educational system has failed at teaching political science in schools, or

a majority of Americans are just turned off by their government. With 27% of the public virtually ignoring the political news, you end up with a large block of misinformed voters. And the Pew finding that 22% of Americans cannot identify a single strength in the nation's political system, indicates to me another large block that has basically given in to the destruction of the Donald Trump administration. All three items considered are competent confirmation that Americans have lost their dream.

Getting back to how Crew explains how Dufus Rump is dismantling our democracy, one piece at a time, there are four core main categories used to identify the onslaught Trump is making on U.S. freedom and justice. They are, Corruption, Weaponization of the Department of Justice and U.S. military, Regulatory Retaliation and Hiding or Distorting Legally Required Information. Starting with the first...

Corruption, "Trump's abuse of entrenched power for private or personal gain. Over the past 10 years, despite some attempts to fight corruption including the creation of a National Strategy on Countering Corruption, we have seen a precipitous worsening of corruption in the United States." This has expanded to enormous proportions during both Donald Trump administrations. Corruption, in my opinion, is one of the worst factors in the overthrow of democracy,

Weaponization of the Department of Justice and U.S. military, When the dictator looks inward to shore up his strengths, the first move is to make sure the legal arsenal is in place that will loyally support his every move. "Strong democracies have a robust civil society, including an active and engaged opposition. A network of constitutional and statutory laws, as well as executive branch policies rooted in the First Amendment, are designed to prevent politically motivated investigations and prosecutions and ensure that government law enforcement and military resources are not used to suppress dissent." Trump, however, has made the Executive Order (EO) the new way of governing, his ploy to eliminate Congress from the process. He relies strongly on the Dept. of Justice to back him up on every move.

Regulatory Retaliation, To begin with, Dufus Rump has taken away the independence of government agencies, "an independence which has all but evaporated thanks to a series of Supreme Court shadow docket decisions permitting the indiscriminate firing of independent agency heads." Donald Trump, using as an example the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to enact regulatory retaliation. If the White House maniac doesn't like what you are doing, vengeance and retribution will follow you everywhere you go.

Hiding or Distorting Legally Required Information, "Transparency is the currency of democracy, because it allows people to know that their government is acting honestly and with their best interests at heart." Add to that the fact that anything that does come from the Trump administration is misinformation...lie after lie, after lie, after lie, after lie...into ad infinitum. And transparency to Donald Trump is the release only of that information that both pleases and honors him. What we should expect: "This category therefore tracks government attempts to hide or misrepresent information that is supposed to be lawfully available, obscure reliable data or make government decisions in secret outside of the eye of the American public." 

Unless you are living under a rock, you know the latter couldn't be farther from the truth. This all screams the question of why anyone would want to live with an authoritarian government. Here's an AI answer...

"Some Americans express a desire for an authoritarian government or strongman leader primarily as a response to perceived threats to their economic stability, social status, and traditional way of life. This mindset is often driven by a need for order, safety, and conformity in a society seen as increasingly chaotic, unstable, or threatening."

My opinion is that many of these ne'er-do-wells and apathetics are just too dumb or too lazy to make a good life for themselves. That leaves those of us who still have the will to be free to fight on, and I do mean fight hard, in the war against autocracy. I urge you to read the Crew article for the extensive timeline it contains on all of the above categories.

American democracy is not dead...it's just snoozing,

You the taxpayer rescued Trump Scotland Turnberry resort hotel

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 9, 2019: SPECIAL REPORT

Trump Turnberry resort corruption accelerates  

Where the latest Trump correction is

Here's the scenario. Donald Trump has a resort hotel, Turnberry, about 50 miles outside Glasgow, Scotland. It's in trouble financially, like just about everything else this moocher owns; the property lost $4.5 million in 2017, but revenue went up $3 million in 2018.” Also, VP Pence stayed at Trump's resort during his recent trip to Ireland in his usual suck-up way. That, alone, brought along the investigations into impropriety still progressing.

And it seems Turnberry has a money-losing airport they cannot afford to give up due to its convenience for travelers flying in to stay there. So, not only do you own this property, but you're also the U.S. president who can do what you want to when manipulating the government to support the Trump brand. And the Oval Office lunatic did just that. Rachel Maddow of MSNBC reported the following Politico headline...

"Air Force crew made an odd stop on a routine trip: Trump’s Scottish resort”

Here are the details...

“In early spring of this year, an Air National Guard crew made a routine trip from the U.S. to Kuwait to deliver supplies. What wasn’t routine was where the crew stopped along the way: President Donald Trump’s Turnberry resort."

Not only did they refuel at significantly higher priced gas than they could have gotten on a military base, but the crew stayed at the ultra-expensive Trump hotel. What is even worse is, the Air Force said this "wasn't unusual." Not in a Donald Trump administration it isn't. This is compounded by the fact that T-rump also has another money-losing resort in Florida, Mar a Lago, that he has been trying to steer the next G-7 to, since returning from the Summit. Maddow continued...

“But now, miraculously, now that Donald Trump is president, American military cargo planes have started refueling at that airport, at a significant price mark up. Right. It’s much cheaper for them to get their fuel at military bases. That’s part of the reason they always stop at military bases. Also, they’re the military. They’re no longer stopping at military bases.”

Rachel Maddow exposes Trump Turnberry fiasco...

Don't know how many said this when Trump was elected--it was several--that he really didn't want to be president, but now that he was, he would make the best of it by using the office to promote his Trump brand. Maddow says the Turnberry incident is, "uncharted waters, obviously, in terms of presidential corruption," and it implicates Donald Trump himself and everyone else who participated in it. These partners in the exploitation are not cooperating.

House Democrats have obviously picked up on this with investigations, added to those already started on the Mike pence Ireland visit. A senior Democratic aide on the oversight panel told Politico...

“The Defense Department has not produced a single document in this investigation. The committee will be forced to consider alternative steps if the Pentagon does not begin complying voluntarily in the coming days.”

Mike Pence pathetically defends Ireland Trump resort stay...

So far this committee has not been effective. Vox comments on the Politico report, "The US military may have spent millions to help prop up a Trump resort." There's more...

"The military has spent $11 million on fuel alone at the Prestwick Airport near Trump’s Turnberry resort since fall of 2017. the airport has provided discounted rooms and complimentary rounds of golf at the Trump resort for some US military members. The expenditures are unusual given buying fuel from Prestwick Airport costs the government (and, ultimately, taxpayers) more than refueling at military bases, such as the nearby Lakenheath Air Base in England."

Corruption will be one of Donald Trump's major legacies. 

Latest News Digest/Page 3

Capitol riots enablers Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Josh Hawley of Missouri, already the target of congress for helping to incite the Capitol riot, have...

"frantically searched for a political sweet spot: They’ve tried to condemn the violence without retracting or apologizing for their active role in sustaining the big lie that incited it."

But the horror is actually seen in the video that accompanies this piece. Scroll down for the video and, folks, it is a MUST WATCH! Here's the article: Appalling new video of the rioters is a big problem for Trump’s GOP enablers

Trump is headed for debtors prison when he leaves office. In the same period of time he spent hallucinating in the Oval Office, loans in the hundreds of millions of dollars will come due, and there may be nowhere to go for more. The Hill says debt holders have...

"backed away from business arrangements with the Trump Organization, sapping future income from the debt-laden president. Three banks have announced they’re cutting ties with him — including Deutsche Bank, his biggest creditor — limiting his ability to refinance debt."

There's more...

"Trump owes creditors at least $315 million, mainly through mortgages for Trump Organization hotels, resorts and golf courses, according to his 2020 financial disclosure. A Forbes analysis of Trump’s finances, however, found that Trump likely owes at least $1 billion to creditors, some of which he has personally guaranteed."

The financial industry is calling him,  'Toxic Trump. Read more:  Debt cloud hangs over Trump post-presidency

 

Donald Trump met with his elite advisory duo, Ivanka and Jared, to discuss some 100 pardons he has planned including...

"white-collar criminals, high-profile rappers and others. It will likely include some pardons aimed at advocating for criminal justice reform, as well as controversial pardons for political allies."

Reportedly, there are those who have paid for pardons. Business as usual. Read more: Trump preparing another 100 pardons, commutations beforeleaving office: reports

Billy Graham was a religious icon that most anyone could admire, even atheists. His son, Franklin Graham, on the other hand, has a twisted mind that has led his followers down the trail of Donald Trump idolatry. Although Graham said after seemingly criticizing Capitol rioters, "I don't think it was the president's finest moment." Then, the article exclaims...

"But Graham said he doesn't expect the tumult at the Capitol to deter evangelical Christians from supporting Trump."

There's more...

"I don’t think he had any understanding in that moment of what was going to take place," he said. "None of us did."

Franklin Graham, like so many of his pathetic religious followers, have helped make Donald Trump the maniac he is today. And this is why so many Americans have left the church. Read more: Evangelicals and other faith leaders still support Trump after deadly US Capitol attack

Time for a quick compendium on Donald Trump's lies racked up in his four years in the White House. AlterNet leads with this...

"For the last four years, fact-checkers have had their hands full keeping up with President Donald Trump's unprecedented level of dishonesty. While The Washington Post reported that Trump had delivered more than 22,000 false or misleading claims..."

The article calls Trump's dalliance with untruths a "disgraced president's" tweeting claims that likely had something to do with the outcome of the 2020 election. We're thankful for that and there's much more. Read the article: Here are the most dangerous and notable lies Trump spewed during his presidency

Arizona Republican representative Andy Biggs is the scumbag of this state's lowlife GOP. Biggs, along with twin scumbag Paul Gosar actually wrote a letter to Donald Trump in 2019. "reinforcing their support for the president’s desire to spend billions of tax dollars on a border wall." Today, Biggs has been accused of being part of the recent Capitol riots. The rep. denies but...

"Ali Alexander, who led rallies nationwide to try to overturn the results of the presidential election, called Biggs a hero of the movement during the rally at the Arizona Capitol and led a chant in his name."

Another GOP jerk to dump in 2022. Read more: New videos emerge tying Arizona Republican Rep. Andy Biggs to 'Stop the Steal' movement

The time has finally arrived where it is likely that this country will find out whether Bernie Sanders' Progressive agenda is feasible. The Ps know it is and some moderates think there are possibilities. My gut tells me that President-elect Joe Biden, deep down, believes in Bernie as his Chairman Senate Budget Committee, and is convinced his issues can help this country. God knows it needs help after Donald Trump. Yet Republicans see a nightmare...

"that a champion of working-class people and the common good—one who has dedicated his political career to curbing poverty and injustice while denouncing corporate greed, endless war, and the cruelty of a for-profit health system that leaves millions upon millions uninsured or without affordable access to care—would assume the powerful position of chairing the Senate Budget Committee is about to become reality."

Go get 'em Bernie. Read more: GOP nightmare of Senate Budget Chair Bernie Sanders is about to come true

Republican fears just might come true. Donald Trump could well be the defining factor that the GOP is so misguided and corrupt that it no longer deserves the right to exist. At least as it is. It started with Karl Rove in the Geo. W. Bush administration where lying and deceit became staples for the Party. The progression of fabrication of the truth compounded by the GOP's corruption provided T-rump the perfect 'welcome wagon' he needed. But...

"The last four years under President Donald Trump's leadership have been tumultuous for politics but the end of Trump's reign has dealt a hefty blow to the Republican Party."

And now after the Capitol riots, incited by Donald Trump, we are going into a modicum of quietude under our new president, Joe Biden. With Kamala Harris at his side, the hopes for this country are once again optimistic. And if the Republicans implode, well, it couldn't happen to a better gang. Read more: Some in the GOP worry the party will not survive after 4 years of Trump

 

Donald Trump for Nobel Peace Prize? It wasn't for dictators

Although a dictator has never been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, some were nominated like Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Benito Mussolini. Another dictator by the name of Donald Trump was nominated by Florida House Representative, Anna Paulina Luna, for brokering a historic ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. What she doesn’t say in her nomination is that Donald Trump has reached the bottom of the barrel as a human being and as a leader. The Oval Office lunatic is accused of…

"a wide range of “atrocious acts” or abuses of power across his two non-consecutive presidencies and in his personal life. These allegations include inciting an insurrection, attempting to subvert the 2020 election, using his office for personal enrichment, and engaging in sexual misconduct. Legal experts and government watchdogs have described his actions as a threat to democratic norms and institutions."

 In legal and ethical abuses, Donald Trump…

• was convicted for falsifying business records
• he attempted to overturn the 2020 election
• he incited the January 6 Capitol attack
• accused of Improper handling of classified documents
• he used the office of the President office for financial benefit and emoluments
• New York authorities found Tax fraud for Trump’s political and business interest

And then there are the sexual misconduct allegations…

• E. Jean Carroll defamation and sexual abuse lawsuit
• Recording of lewd comments in 2005 (”grab ‘em by the pussy”)
• As of 2025, at least 28 women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct, including rape, kissing, and groping without consent

There is so much more, like branding the media fake news when it disagrees with him, siccing his AG, the bumbling Bondi, on all his enemies including James Comey and Letitia James, Illegal firing of federal workers during the government shutdown, and the illegal transfer of hundreds of individuals to a foreign prison without due process. Then there is one of t-Rump’s worst offenses, use of the government to hold onto power for his corruption and personal financial gain.

Pam Bondi

But his sending in of troops to the Washington, D.C. , Los Angeles, Portland, OR, and Chicago is solid evidence of Trump’s authoritarian takeover of this country. And, CNN reports…


”US President Donald Trump spoke on Friday with Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado after his administration denounced the committee awarding her the honor.”

Apparently Machado did speak with Trump but would give up nothing from the conversation. According to CNN, “A growing number of world leaders have also said he should win the award.” This because of his peace progress in GAZA. The way I view it, some of the world and a select group in the U.S. consider the GAZA news separate from all of the above, with that of the above completely disregarded when making their decision. Something that makes absolutely no sense to me.

How can one not impinge on the other? How can you qualify a head of state to receive a distinguished award for peace when he has knowingly plunged his country into ideologies that provoke Big Brother, a police state and the loss of democracy? The White House, of course, disagrees. Trump’s communications director Steven Cheung said to the BBC…

“The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace. President Trump will continue making peace deals, ending wars, and saving lives. He has the heart of a humanitarian, and there will never be anyone like him who can move mountains with the sheer force of his will.”

Have you ever heard such bullshit? Here are the points from Cheung that just scream at the havoc t-Rump is wreaking on America: Trump is a peacemaker; Trump ends many wars; Trump saves lives; and here’s my favorite, Trump has the heart of a humanitarian. However, there is one point made by Cheung that I fully agree with, there is no one like Trump. I don’t know how close the Nobel committee came to choosing Donald Trump but with a year to go, we can only hope.

Here’s a twist, at least I didn’t expect, from the winner, Machado…

Machado herself praised Trump on X following her win, writing that “I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause!”

Machado won her Nobel Prize for fighting the Venezuelan authoritarian government under Nicolás Maduro. Yet Donald Trump is in the final stages of setting up an autocratic dynasty in America. You have to wonder, is Machado stupid, is her cause a hoax, or has she been brainwashed like Trump’s MAGA Maggots? Agreed, it is only the sane who realize the disaster Trump has set in motion, and, again, we can only hope there are enough of us to prevail in 2026.

On the other hand, with Maria Corina Machado’s position on Donald Trump, I would say she is on her own.

Latest News Digest/Page 2

 

Remember the early days of Donald Trump's 2016 campaign when no one thought he could win, even top politicians short-changed him: Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) confidently explained how Trump was "not going to change the platform of the Republican Party, the views of the Republican Party… we're much more likely to change him." Uh huh. Moscow Mitch turned out to be his biggest cheerleader. Read more: Republicans knew they were making a deal with the devil — now they're paying for it

Donald Trump can add to his list of deplorable acts in his lifetime the fact that he is the "only American leader in a century with more than 400,000 deaths from one event on his watch." From the very first denying day, Killer D led the U.S. down the path of decimation from COVID-19. And now after his 2nd impeachment Donald Trump still believes he did the right thing. Pathetic! Read more: 'Blood on his hands': As US nears 400,000 COVID-19 deaths

Remember that commercial, "Where's the beef?" Today the cry is 'Where's the vaccine?' Donald Trump made promise after promise to get Americans vaccinated now to slow down the surge of coronavirus. That's after bungling the pandemic from the beginning. Here's a quote from the Oregon Gov., "I am demanding answers from the Trump Administration. I am shocked and appalled that they have set an expectation on which they could not deliver, with such grave consequences," This says it all. Read more: 'Deception!': Oregon governor slams Trump --revealing 'there is no federal reserve' of vaccines

Donald Trump has been impeached twice and stands at the threshold of being convicted by the Senate. Trump is in the throes of "political, financial, and legal setbacks that cumulatively spell utter ruin." It is unreal just how many people wait in utter hopeful anticipation for that day. Read more: Trump Is on the Verge of Losing Everything

To begin with the Constitution's case of checks and balances has not worked for Donald Trump. "On January 6, 2021, the head of the executive branch, Donald Trump, incited a mob to attack the legislative branch and then did nothing to stop it." And the likelihood of the Senate convicting Trump after his second impeachment seems limited. And this is only the latest of the Oval Office lunatic's string of corruption over the last four years. Read more: The case against Donald Trump – simplified

Donald Trump comes in gangbusters with the GOP with top ratings even after the Capitol riots. Analysis: 87% of Republicans are morons, idiots, imbeciles...there are more descriptions but don't have the time to spend on this trivia. A new poll "found that 43 percent of voters nationwide gave Trump a positive job approval rating." Is there any hope for this country? Read more: Trump approval remains stable in new NBC poll...

Donald Trump Says He Will Be Indicted On Tuesday

 

THAT'S TODAY...Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has brought the case to this point, now looking at a possible indictment. Trump's statements so far have been based only on what he has seen in the media with no direct contact with Bragg's office. The BBC says...

"This case focuses on alleged hush money paid on Mr Trump's behalf by his lawyer to porn star Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 presidential election."

Trump has urged his supporters to launch mass demonstrations in his support like he did prior to the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol where he shouted in his speech at the Capitol, "We will never give up, we will never concede," and ended with the words: "We fight. We fight like hell and if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore. So let's walk down Pennsylvania Avenue." The riot erupted resulting in injuries and deaths of Capitol police.

Here's the scenario according to Time...

"As part of Bragg’s investigation, Trump could face charges for falsifying business records when he allegedly reimbursed his then-personal attorney Michael Cohen for paying off Daniels. The hush-money deal, allegedly crafted weeks before his presidential win, could also put Trump in jeopardy of violating campaign finance laws."

You have to understand that Donald Trump is up against at least five investigations, covering everything from his possession of classified documents to his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Some have said in the past that the charges brought against him by the Atlanta Atty. Gen. for interference in the 2020 election could have the most impact and provide the best venue for prosecution. Back in Jan., charges were said to be imminent.

Will Donald Trump be indicted on Tuesday?...

Barricades are being erected outside the Manhattan criminal court in anticipation of potential charges against Trump. This is because he called for protests when learning of the indictment, which resulted in the assumptions that it could start another riot like Jan. 6, 2021. But PBS News Hour said, "Trump’s calls for protests fail to gain traction ahead of anticipated indictment"...

"Former President Donald Trump’s calls for protests ahead of his anticipated indictment in New York have generated mostly muted reactions from supporters, with even some of his most ardent loyalists dismissing the idea as a waste of time or a law enforcement trap."

Now Stormy Daniels is entering the fray which Yahoo/News describes as "snarky

tweets about Donald Trump ahead of his possible indictment in New York." Here's an example...

"He probably watches my movies on repeat which may be why he has so many typos. (Slippery fingers from lube and KFC/fast food)."

Here's more...

Trump has denied that he had an affair with Daniels. He has also denied paying her $130,000 to keep quiet about the relationship before the 2016 election; he maintains that the payments — funneled through his former fixer turned nemesis, Michael Cohen — were fees for Cohen's legal services.

This reminds me of Al Capone who said, “They can't collect legal taxes from illegal money.” The feds did and put him in prison for tax evasion when Capone was clearly guilty of other major crimes like murder. And in the charges by Bragg, Trump can be tried for falsification of business records in the Stormy Daniels money transfer. But, like Capone, this is only the tip of the iceberg when he should also be tried for his efforts in launching the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection.

It is also clear that Donald Trump's delay in the Covid pandemic accounted for the deaths of hundreds, even thousands of Americans. These are only some of the reasons Trump should be prosecuted, and put in prison. There are more and can be found in my collection of posts on Donald Trump corruption.

 

Trump thinks he deserves the Nobel Peace prize-Cue the laughter

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2019 NEWS BYTES

'Be a clown...Be a clown...' Donald Trump takes this literally...

Clowns weren't meant to be corrupt

It happens daily, sometimes hourly. Donald Trump makes a fool out of himself and, because of where he sits in the White House, he makes a fool of America. It has been going on starting with his 2016 campaign and has been on a non-stop rampage since then. Senate leader Republicans and Mitch McConnell have chosen to do nothing, in fact have joined with T-rump in his corruption. The Democrats are in such disarray so is there hope there? And, the Oval Office clown continues to do his thing.

In the most recent stupid gesture, Trump finally admitted talking to the Ukraine President by phone to enlist his help in finding dirt on Joe Biden, namely on his son, Hunter. So proud of what he had done, he reinforces the move with another boastful announcement admitting guilt. It should be noted here that T-rump withheld $250 million in military aid to fight Russia from Ukraine. The whole thing screams impeachment. Read more...

Donald Trump admits corruption...

But can you believe, this idiot wonders why he has not received the Nobel Prize? While at the UN, "President Donald Trump asserted on Monday that the Nobel Peace Prize process is unfair because he should get one 'for a lot of things.'” Would that be for Stormy Daniels, or Jeffrey Epstein or his interview with Billy Bush? Now this statement on the Nobel Prize is clear indication that this man has lost complete touch with reality and is mentally unbalanced.
Read more...

Still at the UN, Trump veers away from the business at hand and heaps praises on the religious bigot, evangelical, Franklin Graham. Graham has made it clear how he feels about Muslims and the LGBTQ community. Graham regularly defends trump as if they are soul buddies, and maybe they are. His father, Billy Graham, must have kicked the dirt off his grave by now.
Read more...

NYT Opinion Columnist David Leonhardt says it is “Donald Trump vs. the United States of America,” documenting the Oval Office lunatic's "lawlessness, self-dealing, un-American behavior." Here are just a few...

“He launched his political career by falsely claiming that the first black president was not really American.”

“He publicly undermined American intelligence agents while standing next to a hostile foreign autocrat.”

“He is the president of the United States, and he is a threat to virtually everything that the United States should stand for.”

Read more... 

And what if this mentally disturbed despot refuses to leave the White house when he loses the 2020 election? Georgetown Law professor Josh Geltzer, who served as senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council and, prior to that, as deputy legal adviser to the NSC and counsel to the assistant attorney general for national security, thinks Donald Trump has thumbed his nose at the U.S. Constitution enough to be worried about him in 2020. Read more...

Congress may talk to Stormy Daniels...

Stormy Daniels offers to speak to Congress and The Daily Beast says, ‘Sh*t is about to hit the fan again.’ The adult film actress apparently needs the go ahead from congressional investigators who say they may not call the actress to speak. It was actually Daniels that said, “Things are in a lull, but shit is about to hit the fan again.” DB says this is fodder for Democrats after the Mueller investigation fizzled, but could be more harassment for Daniels and 8-year-old daughter.
Rad more...

Former Sec. of State Rex Tillerson said that "Netanyahu and the Israelis 'played' Trump." Trump and Netanyahu were good buddies, just like Trump and Putin and Kim Jong -un. It is associations like this that the U.S. intelligence community has always been worried about due to T-rump's big mouth and willingness to give away U.S. confidential information. Netanyahu may be gone now and it remains to be seen if his opponent, Benny Gantz, can get along with Trump.
Read more...

The Atlantic says the U.S. has now arrived in "the Hot Zone for Impeachment." What did it? "The fresh details about Trump’s apparent effort to strong-arm Ukraine into investigating his political rival Joe Biden may have irreversibly pushed the president into the impeachment hot zone." Speaker Pelosi is finally rethinking her position on the move leaving many wondering what the hell took so long. But Trump can't shock us anymore? Don't count on it.
Read more...

And finally to cap off a laughing stock's warped mindset, the ego-laden maniac says he "is immune from all criminal investigations in a new federal lawsuit seeking to block New York prosecutors from obtaining his tax returns." Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance on Thursday asked for eight years of T-rump’s personal and corporate tax returns. Based on the high level of corruption we have experienced so far, the tax returns should be a circus.

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The epitome of the disgusting is Donald Trump

Remember Donald Trump's often touted book, "The Art of the Deal," something he hasn't been able to accomplish since being in the White House? Well there's another twist from the book's co-author, Tony Schwartz, who revealed a shocking observation...

“To know Trump is to hate Trump,” said Schwartz. “Meaning everybody who knows him, deep down, hates him completely.”

Not really shocking is it? Actuall,y that isn't the real shocker; This is even closer to home, that his oldest daughter, Ivanka, "despises him," can't stand him anymore. Of course it's hard to tell with all of the "sweetness" we see between her, Jared Kushner and Daddy Warbucks. Schwartz's reasoning...

“When you’re around a person who devalues you, humiliates you, ignores you, shames you, what possible other reaction could you have other than to despise him?”

Trump was in Orlando last week to kick off his 2020 presidential campaign--many say that he's never stopped campaigning since 2016--but is it significant that Orlando is a city completely enclosed by swampland? This is certainly appropriate considering the Oval Office lunatic's promise entering office was to drain the Washington swamp. He didn't and what we ended up with was an even bigger quagmire of corruption led by none other than the professed liberator.

Joe Biden on Donald Trump

But it is even more laughable that just hours before Trump's campaign kickoff in Orlando, the Orlando Sentinel announced that it would endorse anyone but Donald Trump. The newspaper commented...

"After 2½ years we’ve seen enough. Enough of the chaos, the division, the schoolyard insults, the self-aggrandizement, the corruption, and especially the lies. So many lies — from white lies to whoppers — told out of ignorance, laziness, recklessness, expediency or opportunity."

Wow! That's a statement that perfectly clarifies the maniac that had been inhabiting the White House now for around two-and-one-half-years, posing as a head of state for the most powerful nation in the world. Or at least it was until T-rump took office. But the Democrats don't get an official nod out of this from a paper that has a history of endorsing Republicans, rather, it's more a mandate that Donald Trump must go.

And finally, Trump has lost the support of one of his largest 2016 supporters, the wealthy Mercer family. Here's the loss...

"The Mercers supported Trump aggressively in 2016, donating at least $15.5 million to pro-Trump organizations..."

According to sources, the Mercers have become disillusioned with Trump for a variety of reasons. One, they favored Steve Bannon; Trump fired him. There were others but supporting Steve Bannon tells you enough about this family to place them in a category of the radical right of the Republican Party. Donald Trump can't afford to lose too many of this brand since it is the thrust of the GOP in all elections. One can only hope that the entire Trump campaign fails...soon.

Political Satire: What is Trump still hiding about Russia?

He's not heavy, he's my puppet 

Whatever it is, it is bad enough that Donald Trump has enlisted the help of Congress, the intelligence community. And now the FBI has refused to cooperate with the White House by downplaying the news stories about Donald John's close ties with Russia. It involves Trump associates’ ties to Russia and the fact that pressure is being applied to cover this up. Greg Miller of the Washington Post said...

"Acting at the behest of the White House, the officials made calls to news organizations last week in attempts to challenge stories about alleged contacts between members of President Trump’s campaign team and Russian intelligence operatives."

Here's some background on the story. According to Politifact...

"The Washington Post reported Dec. 9 that the CIA concluded Russia meddled in the election with the intent to help Trump, rather than to disrupt the election generally. The New York Times produced a similar report. However, the Washington Post also reported that the FBI isn't as confident in this conclusion. These stories are all based on anonymous sources and cannot be independently verified."

 But just last week, the FBI indicated that it would not downplay these same news reports after a request to do so from the White House. Business Insider Politics said...

"Trump administration officials wanted the FBI to disavow the reports and say there was no contact between people associated with Trump and Russia."

Democrats are still pissed over the fact that FBI Director James B. Comey released critical information about Hillary Clinton's email probe just prior to the 2016 election, yet kept quiet on the fact that Trump's campaign team had been in regular contact with Russia. Hillary Clinton accused Donald John of a direct tie between him and Vladimir Putin in one of the election debates, accusing her opponent of joining with the Russian leader to get rid of NATO. And then early in February, Trump voices his support for NATO admonishing member countries for better support.

Rep. Adam B. Schiff (Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee said that...

 if the White House “contrived to have intelligence officials contradict unfavorable news reports, this represents a new and even more grave threat to the independence of the intelligence community.”

Former CIA director Michael Hayden expressed his concern that intelligence sources were being strong-armed into providing information that was later being interpreted into political speak and then put into the wording that best fit their message. What's new. But considering the Trump administration's  continued praise of Putin and all the action so far to get it out of the media, does that mean there is a smoking gun? And to cap it all off, Donald John has repeatedly criticized the intelligence organizations recently for leaking misinformation.

The leading example of Russian involvement in the 2016 election was the DNC hack where the embarrassing emails from Debbie Wasserman Schultz were uncovered, resulting in her being removed as chair. In this case the federal intelligence community, cybersecurity analysts, the Homeland Security Department and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a statement saying...

"...they believed people at the top levels of Russian government directed the attack in an attempt to interfere in the election."

Donald Trump took the Miss Universe pageant to Moscow in 2013, and he is known to have other

It might even look like this

business interests in Russia; specifically a desire to build a luxury Trump hotel in Moscow. But since he won't release his taxes, there is no way to know exactly what is going on. There is one thing we know for sure, Donald Trump is about business. He has been criticized time and again over the lack of complete separation between the presidency and his business-related interests. One son recently cost the federal govt. thousands of protection dollars to protect him in work abroad for the hotels.

Business insider Politics reported...

"Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse this week said he was sure the Russia-related cloud hanging over President Donald Trump's administration would not be clearing up anytime soon."

 The Rhode Island Democrat says Lindsey Graham's Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism will look at the issue from three perspectives. 1) Trump's relationship with Russia pertaining to his business enterprises; 2) What did these actually do to affect the 2016 election?; 3) How exactly was the Trump staff involved in, if any, shenanigans in trying to swing the election toward Donald John? It is a fact that more Republicans have evidenced their concern over the possibility that Russia might have some part in getting Trump elected.

It is important to note that three important Donald Trump advisers have left the White House staff due to their Russian ties. First, Paul Manafort, former campaign manager and consultant for a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine, left early, in August of 2016. Resignation has not been explained. Carter Page, former foreign policy adviser, left in September 2016, with ties to a business consultancy work for state-owned Russian oil giant Gazprom. Page is currently subject to U.S. investigations over his Russian connections. Michael Flynn left recently Feb. 13, for lying to V.P. Pence about speaking with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak in December 2016.

Politifact concluded...

"Based on the evidence, it seems highly unlikely that actions by the Russian government contributed in any decisive way to Trump’s win over Clinton."

Senior research scientist at CNA Analysis & Solutions, Dmitry Gorenburg, lamented over all the ruckus over what might have happened. What the U.S. should be concerned about is the fact that Russia even made the attempt. As an observer to all that has been written, that would indicate to me that the hackers felt they had the means to accomplish their goals and it is accepted knowledge that Putin's minions are known to be excellent cyber thieves. They were able to hack into and steal million from U.S. banks back in 2015.

However, former President George W. Bush said, "...that the American people deserve answers on the alleged connection between President Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia." This from Donald John's own party plus someone who sat in the Oval Office in the same place where he is sitting now just over eight years ago. And then just this past Friday...

"Republican Rep. Darrell Issa called for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to hire an independent prosecutor to investigate the connection between the Trump campaign and Russia. Issa joins a number of Democrats in calling for an independent prosecutor."

I would expect that kind of rhetoric coming from a career building blowhard like Issa, but GWB is way beyond having to make a name for himself. Apparently the decision of a prosecutor is Senator Richard Burr (R-N.C.), chairman of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. This was Trump's, of course, Tweet response...

“Russia talk is FAKE NEWS put out by the Dems, and played up by the media, in order to mask the big election defeat and the illegal leaks!” 

And finally, Wilbur Ross, who probably will be confirmed Secretary of Finance tonight, is the latest with Donald John's conglomeration of Russian connections. Esquire reports that Ross has an ownership stake in a Cyprus bank in consultation with Russian President Vladimir Putin who was the first to prop up the institution. The magazine also notes that, "Cyprus banks have a long and painful history of laundering dirty money from Russians involved with corruption and criminality."

Well, it just doesn't get any better.

Donald Trump spawns corruption

PROGRESSIVE STREET...Where liberals Walk

Robert Reich talks about Donald Trump's "deep state," (ie. Steve Bannon) but concludes the Oval Office has now progressed to Trump’s Corrupt State. He adds...

"Not since Warren G. Harding’s sordid administration have as many grifters, crooks and cronies occupied high positions in Washington."

 Just look at the resignations of do many top people in the administration; Scott Pruitt, Ryan Zinke, Tom Price, and Michael Flynn. It was recently reported that "a real estate company partly owned by Trump son-in-law and foreign policy advisor, Jared Kushner, has raked in $90 million from foreign investors since Kushner entered the White House." Thus signifying the fact that Donald Trump bought the presidency for the purpose of establishing a money machine.

The corruption is compounded by the conclusions by the media, private sector, and some in government that, "this is a White House out of control, with a Commander-in-Chief not in charge." Here's a shocking example from CNN’s Alexander Marquardt, a Senior National Correspondent focusing on National Security...

"He makes clear Trump’s not the one calling the shots, and is only making decisions to fend off internal bickering and power plays in his administration."

Bob Cesca of Salon says...

"Worse yet, there are millions of Americans who will do anything to circulate Trumpism until it becomes fact and therefore the basis for governing the country from now on. In the face of all this, too many news outlets refuse to act in accordance with the challenges of this existential crisis."

He points to a recent interview by Chuck Todd of NBC's “Meet the Press” with Donald Trump Cesca termed, "another example of the perpetually nauseating confluence of Trump’s gratuitous lies and a TV news reporter too timid to treat him like the despot he is." Cesca comments that Trump voters simply believe "Trump’s worthless word" and "repeated as truth the following whopper lies told to Todd the other day."

Want a laugh? Watch Chuck Todd, Donald Trump interview...

Typical of Trump's lies in perpetuity, still using former President Barack Obama as his customary whipping post, Trump tells Todd...

"'Congress never approved Obama’s Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, aka the “Iran Deal.' Since it wasn’t a treaty, Congress didn’t have to approve. But Congress passed legislation, signed by Obama, allowing legislators to evaluate the terms of the deal. To his credit, Todd caught that lie."

 What is so pathetic, and also fearful, is that Chuck Todd treated Donald Trump in such a way to legitimize the Oval Office lunatic who is far from earning it. Cesca says...

"Let’s put it this way: When Trump starts to act like a president, then maybe he’ll earn the right to be treated like one."

I think most of us will agree that will never happen.

Donald Trump's diversion of Iran War won't hide Epstein, immigration murders and mixed economy

Epstein and Trump

You couldn't miss the new bronze statue of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein entitled "The King of the World," on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 10, 2026. What' more it has become impossible to ignore the fact that Dufus Rump will do anything take away the attention of the American public on Epstein, immigration murders and mixed economy going nowhere. Here's the scenario...

"Dubbed Operation Epic Fury, the Trump administration’s military campaign against Iran has been routinely mocked as “Operation Epstein Fury,” a reference to the ongoing scandal that has rocked Trump’s second presidency."

 Senator Chris Murphy, Connecticut Democrat, Trashes Trump as ‘Senile Old Man’  after secret war briefing. He said...

“This is the most incompetent, incoherent war America has fought in the last 100 years, and that’s saying a lot,” Murphy said, with his comments at the Capitol aired on CNN’s NewsNight on Thursday.

“This administration has no idea what they are doing. There is no viable war plan. They change their goals and their aims every single day,” Murphy added.

Of course, Donald Trump has never been accused of knowing what he is doing, embarking 

on whims that have placed America in a precarious position both domestically and internationally. Thomas Kika says in AlterNet, "Trump nosediving as his presidency is dragged down by 'failure after failure': analysis." He has basically lost control due to a combination of blunders launched solely to satiate his enormous ego and line his pockets where possible. And here are the results...

"Gas prices surging. Unemployment climbing. War with Iran threatens to engulf his presidency," Cheney wrote. "The fracturing of his political coalition. The collapse of his signature trade-negotiations-by-tariff strategy. Relentless scrutiny of the Epstein files. A public backlash to his agenda that could swamp Republicans in the midterms. Failure after failure to criminalize the conduct of his political adversaries."

And apparently Trump's co-conspirator in the Iran War, Netanyahu, has his own problems. Iran has threatened to assassinate Netanyahu, although there is a question if he is still alive, according to a suspicious video. Iran calls him a "child killer," but directs attention to a clip of the Israeli PM's national address that went viral. In his speech...

"there's an unusual moment in the video where Netanyahu appears to develop six fingers all of a sudden, sparking a lot of people online to wonder if the stream was generated using artificial intelligence and that the PM is actually dead."

As an example of Dufus Rump's stupidity and egotistical resistance to advice,...

"Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine told Trump in multiple briefings that U.S. officials long believed Iran would deploy mines, drones, and missiles to close the critical shipping lane."

It appears that Donald Trump was well aware of the risk but decided to proceed anyway, in my opinion as a result of an ego that constantly tells him that he is the king of the world. And, of course, we know what has happened, he recently demanded  NATO and China police the Strait of Hormuz. So far they aren't joining;  France and Italy have opened talks with Iran amid the oil scandal, leaving Trump humiliated; but here is the kicker, Iranian attack on US soil likely...

“It’s not a matter of if — it’s a matter of when,” retired Top Gun Navy fighter pilot Matthew “Whizz” Buckley told The New York Post, warning that Americans were vulnerable to Iranians hungry to retaliate after the US killed the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader and unleashed war across the Middle East.

Chief among the dangers are scores of Iranian agents who “likely” slipped into the US over the southern border and could be waiting for orders from handlers in Tehran to strike, Buckley said.

“There is probably thousands, if not tens of thousands of Iranian agents and sleeper cells in this country,” he said, adding that sources in Customs and Border Protection have ominously told him, “You wouldn’t believe how many Korans and prayer rugs we find in the desert.”

Elizabeth Warren says, "After Helping Convince Trump to Attack Iran, Kushner Solicits Billions for His Private Equity Firm." She continues...

“While US servicemembers die in another forever war in the Middle East, Donald Trump’s ‘peace envoy’ is raising money for his private equity firm.”

Kushner has been quietly working with Saudi Arabia in the background of Dufus Rump's shenanigans

Twins of corruption

since the first term of the Oval Office maniac. If Donald Trump eventually goes before war trials, Kushner's co-conspiring corruption with Donald Trump should also put him in line for conviction. Here's the scenario...

"Citing five unnamed people with knowledge of the talks, the Times reported that 'Affinity’s representatives have already met with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund,' Affinity’s largest investor. Saudi Arabia’s leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, reportedly played a significant role in the behind-the-scenes lobbying campaign urging Trump to attack Iran—Saudi Arabia’s top regional rival."

And to cap it all off, the White House maniac said last Saturday that he "may strike Iran’s Kharg Island oil export hub ‘just for fun’" Do you voters who put this moron in the White House, and you Republicans in Congress who are keeping him there heat this. Apparently stupidity reigns in this country under the letters G-O-P.